Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901), “The Bathtub” (Le Tub or Femme au tub), 1980s, from the famous “Elles” portfolio published in 1896.

Color lithograph on luxury Arches Velin paper, 45 x 61 cm (composition);
Limited edition, numbered in pencil LXXII/CCLXXV on the lower left
Artist’s signature—Lautrec’s monogram (the letters HTL—Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec—inscribed in a circle), lower left; facsimile of the signature, lithographed, lower right.
Publisher: Circle Fine Art (rights to a one-time, limited edition); produced at Atelier Jobin in Paris.
Toulouse-Lautrec created a series of 12 works for the *Elles* portfolio commissioned by Gustave Pellet, who was one of the most important Parisian publishers of erotic prints in the late 19th century. The commission focused on the lives of women working in Parisian brothels.
Toulouse-Lautrec knew this milieu very well. Between 1892 and 1895, he frequently visited Parisian maisons closes, including those on Rue des Moulins, Rue d’Amboise, and Rue Joubert. However, he did not treat the subject as a typical erotic illustration, as the client had expected. Instead, he depicted the women engaged in everyday, private activities: resting, washing, combing their hair, getting dressed, or waiting for clients. Pellet likely hoped for commercial success among consumers of erotic art, whereas Lautrec created a work that was exceptionally intimate and devoid of explicit eroticism.
It turned out that for the audience of 1896, it was precisely this lack of idealization and the portrayal of prostitutes simply as ordinary, tired women going about their daily activities that was often more shocking than a scantily clad actress.